The laser source and the IC driver circuit are usually hosted in a package adapted to integrate electrical, mechanical and optical components having associated thermal aspects.
The sensitive RF-link between the IC driver and the laser requires a short connection between the two components. The region where the laser is located is however likely to have a relatively high temperature because of the close proximity of the laser to heat dissipated by the driver. The high laser temperature may adversely affect the laser transmission performance.
Active solutions, such as thermoelectric coolers (e.g. Peltier coolers) or high dissipating materials joined to the metal packages of the components are commonly used to palliate those problems.
These arrangements inevitably add much to the footprint size and cost of the laser/driver assembly. Also, active systems designed for ensuring proper dissipation of the thermal energy coupled to the laser from the associated driver circuit add considerably to the system power consumption.
The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved arrangement for effectively facilitating heat dissipation in an arrangement including an electro-optical converter such as a laser diode and an associated driver circuit.